The author is not a very gripping writer of history, but when writing about his own experiences and his neighborhood in the present, he does a great job. It is a big task for someone who's not a professional historian to really work himself into different areas of European history, and Karmel is not equal to the task, falling back on numerous generalizations, particularly about the older periods he discusses. Read his description of the neighborhood in the modern period and skip the rest.

If you have ever tried to research the history of your own home, you will be green with envy over the level of detail Karmel achieved not only about the structure but also about the neighborhood. Of course, Paris itself has a rich history that has been widely recorded. The author has very nicely dovetailed the history of Paris and its environs with the story of his pied-a-terre.

I read this book on the train coming home from Paris and could picture the building, the neighborhood and really got a feeling for the area. I only wish the book had been longer and had delved into the author's personal life in Paris a bit more. Maybe in Volume Two, one can hope.